Listen: Ty Segall’s ‘Manipulator’

It’s annoying that Drag City isn’t on Spotify. Thankfully NPR is streaming Ty Segall’s latest, which is getting great reviews. We love it too:

Manipulator also recalls the way some of the best ’90s bands captured that era while making their own timeless records for the canon. Segall’s upper register makes his voice a dead ringer for that of Suede’s Brett Anderson, and Manipulator showcases the mysterious swagger of that group’s classic debut. The distortion monster “It’s Over” channels Blur at its catchiest, while “The Feels” captures the same arena-ready, world-takeover notions that powered Oasis through its early successes.

This doesn’t seem like an accident; the entire cycle of 17 songs gets stronger as the record goes on, piling on excess without feeling excessive. Manipulator may have missed its chance to provide the soundtrack to a summer that desperately needed one, but that just means it gets to be the feel-good hit of the fall.

It is an understatement to say that Ty is prolific and with that some of his past releases aren’t entirely essential though there are always more that a few great songs on each one. Manipulator, however — a 17-track double album no less — is pretty much all hits. It’s got his best songs yet, featuring inventive arrangements, ripping performances and just the right amount of studio polish. Manipulator’s not just a great garage album, it’s one of the year’s best records, period.

Stream it here. Ty plays Webster Hall September 17 & 18. Here he is killing it on Conan: